Proto-Likkran language
The Proto-Likkran language is the reconstructed ancestor of the Likkran languages (the main group of native languages in Likkra).
Phonology
Consonants
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Labiovelar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stop | *p *b | *t *d | *kʲ *gʲ | *k *g | *kʷ *gʷ |
| Fricative | *f | *θ | *ç | *x | *xʷ |
| Sibilant | *s | ||||
| Liquid | *r *l |
Vowels
There are five vowels: *a, *e, *i, *o and *u
Phonotactics
Root structure: (C)(R)VC-
Grammar
Nouns
It is hypothesised that Proto-Likkran had nine cases and three numbers. Nouns fell into one of two genders, common and neuter.
The nominal declension system suggests that an agglutinative system in transition to a fusional system existed in Proto-Likkran. As an example, the dual morpheme *-s is consistently found in all dual suffixes (note that *c represents /ts/), while the plural suffix all share a nasal component (originating from *-n).
Declension of the common noun *mona:
| Singular | Dual | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | *mona | *monas | *monan |
| Accusative | *monat | *monac | *monant |
| Genitive | *monaru | *monassu | *monarnu |
| Dative | *monabi | *monaspi | *monambi |
| Instrumental | *monaθa | *monasta | *monatan |
| Comitative | *monaga | *monaska | *monagna |
| Ablative | *monalle | *monassel | *monarnel |
| Illative | *monafri | *monasrif | *monamir |
| Locative | *monaip | *monafs | *monaim |
All common nouns use *a as their thematic vowel.
Declension of the neuter noun *garu:
| Singular | Dual | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | *garu | *garus | *garon |
| Accusative | *garut | *garuc | *garont |
| Genitive | *garuru | *garussu | *garurnu |
| Dative | *garubi | *garuspi | *garombi |
| Instrumental | *garuθa | *garusta | *garutan |
| Comitative | *garuga | *garuska | *garugna |
| Ablative | *garulle | *garussel | *garurnel |
| Illative | *garufri | *garusrif | *garomir |
| Locative | *garuip | *garufs | *garuim |
All neuter nouns use *u as their thematic vowel. Before a nasal, the thematic *u changes to *o.
Adjectives
Adjectives in Proto-Likkran were "nominal" adjectives. This means that they acted like nouns, similar to adjectives in Indo-European languages. They declined for case, gender and number, and agreed with the noun they modified. Their declension is identical to that of nouns.
No comparatives or superlatives can be reconstructed, but an adverbial form (marked with *-e) can be reconstructed.
Verbs
The reconstruction of Proto-Likkran verbs poses a problem. While conjugations for person and number (and in the third-person singular present indicative, gender) can be clearly reconstructed, there are no clear correspondences between languages regarding other forms of conjugation such as tenses, aspects, moods, voices, or even non-finite forms. In general, the only reconstructible tenses are the present and past, and the only reconstructible mood is the indicative. Two categories of conjugation (thematic and athematic) are reconstructed for Proto-Likkran. The lemma is taken to be the third-person singular indefinite present indicative.
Conjugation of *prili:
| Singular | Dual | Plural | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First | Second | Third | First | Second | Third | First | Second | Third | |||
| Common | Neuter | Indef. | |||||||||
| Present | *prilami | *prilati | *prila | *prilu | *prili | *prilamis | *prilatis | *prilis | *prilamen | *prilaten | *prilen |
| Past | *prilesmi | *prilesti | *priles | *prilesmis | *prilestis | *prilesis | *prilesmen | *prilesten | *prilesen | ||
Conjugation of *dak:
| Singular | Dual | Plural | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First | Second | Third | First | Second | Third | First | Second | Third | |||
| Common | Neuter | Indef. | |||||||||
| Present | *dakmi | *dakti | *daka | *daku | *dak | *dakmis | *daktis | *dakis | *dakmen | *dakten | *daken |
| Past | *dakasmi | *dakasti | *dakas | *dakasmis | *dakastis | *dakasis | *dakasmen | *dakasten | *dakasen | ||
Conjugation of the copula, *ar:
| Singular | Dual | Plural | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First | Second | Third | First | Second | Third | First | Second | Third | |||
| Common | Neuter | Indef. | |||||||||
| Present | *armi | *arti | *ara | *aru | *ar | *armis | *artis | *aris | *armen | *arten | *aren |
| Past | *arasmi | *arasti | *aras | *arasmis | *arastis | *arasis | *arasmen | *arasten | *arasen | ||
It is hypothesised that the third-person dual and plural forms may have also displayed gender agreement; however, even if it had existed, no language retains it. The first and second person do not show any gender agreement, as first and second person referents are assumed to be of common gender (for thematic verbs, the thematic vowel used is the common marker *a). Another hypothesis states that athematic verbs originally lacked gender agreement in any form; this has some basis in the past tense reconstructions (which are athematic).